


Gone

by teej_318



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Boys Hugging, Boys In Love, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, loss of parent
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-09
Updated: 2019-07-09
Packaged: 2020-06-25 13:47:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,632
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19746988
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/teej_318/pseuds/teej_318
Summary: When the Byers family receives some bad news, Will isn't sure how to feel. Luckily, Mike Wheeler is there to talk him through how he feels.





	Gone

Mike and Will were curled up on the Byers family’s living room sofa, buried underneath blankets and practically laying on top of one another. They were watching _Ghostbusters_ in a comfortable silence that was broken when there was a knock at the door. Will quickly freed himself from the blankets before he hurried to the door and opened it.

“Hey, bud, is your Mom home?” came Hopper’s voice from the doorway. Mike sat up on the couch, suddenly feeling concerned.

“Yeah she’s here. Is something wrong?”

“It’s better if I tell all of you,” Hopper replied. “Can I come in?”

“Of course,” Will said, stepping aside. “Come in, Hop, I’ll go get Mom and Johnathan.”

Mike stood up from the couch and hurriedly straightened up the couch so they could all have a place to sit. The Chief nodded at him before sitting down.

“Should I step out?” Mike asked, not sure how to make conversation by himself with Hopper.

“You can stay if you want. In fact, I think it’s better if you do. Will might need you after this. I’m afraid I have some bad news for them.”

Mike frowned at Hopper, but didn’t have time to get more out of him as Will came back into the living room, with Johnathan and Joyce following him. Joyce had a look of worry on her face as she sat down on the recliner while Will and Johnathan sat on the sofa with Hopper. Mike remained standing, feeling as if he were intruding on a private moment.

Hopper sighed before he spoke.

“I’m glad all of you are here,” he said. “I’m about to tell you something that would be easier for me to say just once, instead of having to repeat it to you individually.”

“What’s going on, Hop?” Joyce asked, the concern evident in her tone. “Is it something with the lab?”

“No, no, nothing like that. This hits a little close to home.” Hopper hesitated. “Um, a little while ago, we received news about a driver hitting a telephone pole and it was a code blue, meaning they were unresponsive. By the time my guys got on scene, it was too late and the driver died. They took the body to the morgue and the coroner identified him. I was asked to come in to confirm the identity.”

Hopper paused here, taking a deep breath while everyone else stared at him blankly.

“It was Lonnie,” Hopper said shortly. “He had been drinking and he crashed into the telephone pole because he was drunk. I’m so sorry, everyone.”

Joyce’s mouth opened in surprise while Johnathan stared at the ground at a loss for words. Will simply stared back at Hopper as if he didn’t believe it.

“Are you sure, Hop?” Joyce asked in a shaky voice.

Hopper nodded.

“I’m positive. I saw his face myself. It was Lonnie.”

Joyce sighed as she joined Johnathan in staring at the ground. Will, however, stood up and walked away from the couch.

“Will? Honey?” Joyce asked.

“What’s wrong, buddy?” added Johnathan.

“I, uh…I need to be alone for a little bit, I think,” Will said shortly, not looking at any of them. He hurried out of the living room and down the hallway to his bedroom. Mike flinched when he heard the door slam behind Will as he disappeared into his bedroom.

“I’m really sorry, Joyce,” Hopper said. “I know this can’t be easy for you, but I just thought you should know.”

“Thank you for coming by, Hop,” Joyce said, wiping away a tear. “I’ll shed no tears over Lonnie, but the boys definitely needed to know.”

“Let me know if there’s anything I can do for you, okay?” Hop said as he stood up and put his hat back on.

Joyce nodded.

“I’ll walk you out,” she said, her voice still shaky. She followed Hopper out the front door and shut it behind her.

“Johnathan?” Mike asked, hesitantly. Johnathan looked up from his trance. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’ll be fine,” Johnathan replied, nodding. His voice sounded unsteady, but his face looked neutral.

“You sure?” Mike asked. “I mean, your Dad just died.”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m okay, Mike. I didn’t really care for Lonnie and it’s been so long since we’ve seen him anyway, so it doesn’t hurt me or anything. It’s just weird, you know?”

“I get it. Uh, I should probably go and talk to Will.”

“Yeah, that’s a good idea. He’s gonna take this differently. He might be pretty upset.”

“Yeah, I’ll go and check on him.”

“Thanks, Mike.”

“Of course. I just wanna make sure he’s okay.”

Mike walked through the living room and down the hallway. He hesitated when he reached Will’s bedroom before he knocked lightly on the door.

“Will? Can I come in?” Mike asked softly.

There was no response. Mike wasn’t surprised by this. Sighing to himself, Mike slowly turned the knob and walked into Will’s room. As expected, Will was sitting on the bed staring off into space, lost in his thoughts. Mike walked slowly through the bedroom before he sat down on the bed next to Will, who still didn’t respond.

“Hey,” Mike said gently. Will turned to face him with tears swimming in his eyes. “Are you okay?” Will shook his head. “Do you want to talk about it?”

Will sighed before speaking.

“I don’t know how to feel about this, Mike. I mean, it’s not like I was close to him or anything, but he was still my Dad.”

Mike nodded in sympathy.

“I get it. It’s like when my grandpa died. I didn’t really know him, but I still felt kinda sad about it. I know it’s not really the same because you grew up with your Dad for a while, but I understand how you feel, Will.”

“Do you?” Will challenged.

“Is there something else?”

“Is it wrong that I feel relief that he’s gone?” Will asked, sounding like he had been suppressing this thought for months, even _years_. “I know that he’s no longer going to be around to hit me or fight with Mom or try and make Johnathan hunt rabbits. And I don’t have to be afraid of being let down by him. Or that he’s gonna come by when you’re here and we’re snuggling on the couch and he’s gonna hurt you, too. I don’t have to be afraid of that anymore, Mike. I don’t have to be afraid of him anymore. Is it wrong that I feel that way?”

Mike was taken back by Will’s words. He considered Will for several moments before he reached across and placed one of his hands on top of Will’s. Will felt his whole body heat up, but he also felt himself calm down at Mike’s touch.

“No, it’s not wrong,” Mike said softly. “You were scared of him for a long time. Hell, I was, too and I only actually saw him a handful of times.” At this, Mike chuckled nervously and Will’s lips twitched into a half smile for a second. “He tried to make your life hard, Will. And he kept trying to turn you into someone you’re not. And that’s not okay, Will. So, no, I don’t think it’s wrong that you feel better without him around anymore. He may not have been in your life, but knowing he could come back at any time had to be scary. It was, wasn’t it?”

Will nodded, not surprised that Mike had picked up on that detail.

“He may have been your father, Will, but I know that he didn’t love you like a father should. He loved an idea of you; he didn’t love you for who you are. Not the way that I do.”

Mike froze after these words left his mouth. Will’s eyes snapped up and looked directly at Mike, whose eyes had widened. Mike’s face was turning red quickly and his face looked more scared than Will had ever seen it. Will could feel his heartrate increasing, but found himself at a loss for words for several seconds as he and Mike stared at each other. Finally, Will broke the silence.

“You love me, Mike?” he asked in a small voice.

Mike didn’t respond verbally but nodded at Will.

“How long?”

“I don’t know when I knew for sure, but I think it’s always been there, Will. Ever since we met, I felt like my life is complete. When I’m not with you, I feel myself thinking about you and wanting to be with you again. And when we’re together, it’s like I’m a whole person again.”

“Oh my god,” Will whispered.

“I’m sorry, Will,” Mike said hurriedly. “I shouldn’t have said that. It has to be weird for you. Oh god, did I just ruin our friendship? Fuck! I knew I shouldn’t have — ”

Mike stopped talking when he felt Will’s hand covering his lips. Will was smiling at him as he lowered his hand and Mike simply stared into Will’s eyes.

“Mike, I feel the same way,” Will said.

Mike’s face lit up like a Christmas tree. Will had never seen him so happy. He beamed at Mike as he leaned forward and pulled Mike into a hug. Mike wrapped his arms around Will tightly and held him close, tears streaming down his face. But they were happy tears. He was fully happy for the first time in forever. After several moments of holding each other, they broke the hug, but kept their arms around each other.

“Thank you for being here. And for telling me how you feel, Mikey.”

“I’m just glad that you feel the same way, Willie.”

Will smiled at Mike before he pulled him in for another hug. Yeah, he was gonna be okay.

**Author's Note:**

> Yeah, I killed off Lonnie, but I feel like exactly zero people feel sad about me doing it. Also, my boys just need protecting and they just need a hug. Thank god they have each other.
> 
> Come yell at me on Tumblr: [@wackywriterwhowriteswhenever](http://wackywriterwhowriteswhenever.tumblr.com)


End file.
